Cafe traverse rod



FeB. 27, 1968 P. 1.. KENNEY CAFE TRAVERSE ROD Filed Dec. 10, 1965 euc PHlLlP KENNEY BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,370,819 CAFE TRAVERSE ROD Philip L. Kenney, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The Stmley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 512,448 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-265) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A universal mounting bracket for clamping either the inner or the outer of a similarly configured pair of telescoping rod members, each having aback wall provided with a rearwardly extending longitudinal flange, wherein the mounting bracket has a free end which overlies the top of either rod member and a downwardly extending hook portion on its free end for engaging a wall thereof. The mounting bracket being provided with a cam having a pair of fingers disposed at 90 relative to each other pivotally connected to the undersurface thereof with one of the fingers being spaced a greater distance below the undersurface of the mounting bracket on the other, as well as being shorter than the other, to engage the flange and the back wall of the outer telescoping rod when placed perpendicular thereto and the other finger similarly engaging the flange and the back wall of the inner rod member.

This invention relates to universal end brackets for mounting the inner and outer of a pair of telescoping drapery traverse rod members and the like and is particularly concerned with such universal mounting brackets for securing such a rod member intermediate the ends thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved support bracket for drapery rods which may be quickly disengaged from the rod it supports.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved support bracket for supporting cafe traverse rods with the ends of the rods extending beyond the bracket so that the drapery glides may move past the bracket to support the drapes from the end extension of the rod.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which is exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth, and the scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cafe traverse rod made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG, 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 cafe traverse rod mounted on a window frame 12 by means of a pair of support brackets 14, 16. The traverse rod 10 comprises an inner track 18 and an outer track 20 of similar configuration assembled in telescoping relation so that the traverse rod 10 may be adjusted to fit windows of various widths.

The inner track 18 and the outer track 20 of the cafe traverse rod 10 are each made from a single rectangular strip of sheet metal which is roll formed into a generally cylindrical cross sectional configuration having an unbroken cylindrical front wall 1 extending from the top 3,370,819 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 of the rod and an arcuate wall section 2 extending rearwardly of the top thereof. At the juncture of the arcuate wall portions 1 and 2 is a longitudinally extending reinforcing and attaching rib or groove 3 disposed at the top of the rod. Connected to the rearward edge of the arcuate wall section 2 is a substantially flat horizontal wall -4.

The bottom edge of the cylindrical front wall 1 is disposed rearwardly of the vertical center line of the cross section of the rod and the edges of the strip provide spaced apart coplanar upper rear wall section 6 and a lower rear wall section 7 bordering a longitudinal slot 11 with the edges of the strip forming the edges of the slot 11.

The usual master carriers 22, 24 and a suitable number of curved ring glides 26 are shown as being mounted in the longitudinal slot 11 in the rear wall of thetraverse rod 10 for sliding movement along its length, and a pull cord 28 is shown as provided for shifting the carriers 22, 24 to open and close the draperies supported by the carriers and the glides.

The support brackets 14, 16 are identical and each comprises a wall bracket 32 suitably secured to the window frame 12 and a support plate 34 which is adjustably secured to the wall bracket 32 by means of a screw 37 and provides an upwardly bent curved hook portion shaped so as to be complementary to arcuate wall section 1.

The cross sectional configuration of the cafe traverse rod 10 is generally cylindrical; however, the telescopically mating ribs or grooves 3 formed at the top of the inner track 18 and the outer track 20 serve to reinforce and present relative rotation of the telescoping rods. As shown in FIG. 1 the free end or tip of hook portion 36 of the support plate 34 may be positioned in the groove 3 of inner track 18 or outer track 20 depending upon the relative longitudinal position of the associated support bracket relative to the traverse rod 10.

A clamp 46 is pivotally mounted on a depressed boss 31 (FIG. 3) on the bottom surface of the support plate 34 by means of a rivet 48 secured in place so that the clamp 46 is free to turn. So that the support brackets 14, 16 may support either the inner track 18 or the outer track 20, depending upon the particular installation, the clamp 46 is provided with a pair of cam fingers '50, 52 extending from the pivot axis of the clamp 46 in fixed angularly spaced relationship. Inasmuch as the vertical distance of the rear flange 44 below the top of the rod exceeds that of the rear flange 42, the cam fingers 50, 52 are spaced unequal distances below the free end or tip of hook portion 36 to accommodate the attachment of the support bracket to either inner track 18 or outer track 20.

Because the horizontal distance between the groove 3 and the rear wall 6 of the inner track 18 and the outer track 20 diifer, the cam fingers 50, 52 are likewise of unequal length so that the cam finger 50 will engage the rear wall of the outer track 20 when pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 3 while the finger 52 will engage the rear wall of the inner track 18 when pivoted to its operating position, Preferably, the ends of the cam fingers 50, 52 are formed with a pair of spaced projections 51, 53, respectively, to hold the fingers in engagement with the rear walls of inner and outer tracks 18 and 20, respectively, of traverse rod 10.

In addition, the distance between the hook portion 36 of the support plate 34 and the ends of fingers 50, 52 is slightly less than the horizontal distance between the groove 3 and the rear wall 6 of the outer and inner tracks 20, 18, respectively. With this construction, the spaced projections 51, 53 on the ends of the fingers 50, 52 are adapted to bite'into the rear wall of the respective tracks 20, 18 when pivoted into operative position to hold the track members 18, 20 against relative longitudinal movement. It will also be apparent that this construction utilizes the inherent resiliency of the inner and outer tracks 18, 20 to accommodate manufacturing'variations and tolerances in the design and, in efiect, cause the fingers 2, 50 to resiliently engage the tracks 18, 2%.

In order to pivot the clamp 46 about its axis so as to lock either cam finger 50 or cam finger 52 in place against the traverse rod 10, there is provided a rectangular aperture 54 in the finger 52 adapted to receive the blade of a screwdriver. Thus, a partial turn of such a tool will lock the clamp 46 in engagement with the traverse rod 10.

It Will be readily apparent that with the use of this invention the ends of tracks 18, 20 may project beyond the sides of a window frame 12 so that draperies when drawn to a fully opened position will expose the full width of the window. It will further be observed, particularly in FIG. 2, that the end of the curved ring glides 26 terminate at 27 so as to pass over the hook portions 36 of the support plate 34 With the result-that the glides 26 may be moved from one side of the support brackets 14, 16 to the other to'permit the draperiesito" expose the entire window if desired. H As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art,v vari-j ous modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readly apparent without departure" from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A universal mounting bracket for securing the inner and outer members of a pair of similarly'confifgured telescoping rod members, wherein each of the'rod' mem' hers is provided with a back wall having a rear wardly' v extending, longitudinal flange, said mounting bracket" 4 for engaging the same, said plate member further having finger means pivotally mounted on the undersurface thereof, said finger "means including first and second fingers extending in relative angularly spaced relation with the second finger'spaced a greater distance below said plate member than the first finger, the first finger being dimensionedto engage the flange of the inner one of said telescoping members and the second finger being dimensioned to engage the flange of the outer one of said telescoping members when pivoted to a position perpendicular thereto to clamp the respective rod members, into tight engagement'with said hook portion.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first finger is longer than the second to engage the backwall of the inner rod member when pivoted perpendicular thereto, the second finger being of a length to engage the back wall of the outer rod member when pivoted to a position perpendicular thereto.

3. A device as'recited in claim 1 in which one of the fingers is provided with an aperture to receive a screwdriver blade, saidaperture being located adjacent the pivot axis of said fingerwhereby the turning motionpf a screwdriver inserted in the aperture causes pivotal movement of said finger means .e.

4. A device: as recited in claim 1, wherein the free endv o f flie" plate member is bent upwardly between the pivot axis of said finger means and the hook portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,192,994 7/1965 Graber et a1 345 3,247,893 7 4/1966 Ford 1694 X FOREIGN PATENTS 903,752 8/1962 Great Britain.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

J. FRANKLINFOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

